


Remain in Character

by Caliras



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Awesome Peggy Carter, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Fix-It, Fluff, Hurt Steve Rogers, POV Steve Rogers, Snark, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-16 19:49:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21041810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caliras/pseuds/Caliras
Summary: A different ending for Steve because admittedly I wasn't very happy with it.





	Remain in Character

**Author's Note:**

> Anybody else upset with how Steve was portrayed?

The war is won. That’s something every soldier wants to hear. And Steve is no different. He just didn’t realize the cost. You never quite think that your friend would be the one to die. You know that it could happen, it just never sinks in until it does. Tony wasn’t coming back. The war is won, and Steve feels cold. Tony had just seemed so invincible to him, so untouchable. No matter what happened, he still got back up stronger. He was borne of himself, made from iron and ashes and pain. It took Steve a while to see that, sure, but once he did, he knew that Tony would never give in. He was a burning star, the arc reactor only a fraction of his light. Then he was extinguished.

He left behind a supernova, wiping out all of his enemies and allowing the battlefield to grow brighter. Though even he couldn’t wash out sadness and regret over his own death. Natasha, he didn’t feel as sharply until now. He didn’t watch her die, so there was always a kernel, the smallest amount of hope. You always think they are coming back until all the cards are played and you feel cold all over again. She was the one who made everything work, the one who they loved dearly. She had steel in her bones and ice in her eyes. But she also had a big heart, and eyes that crinkled with laughter softened with love and grew misty with loss.

She loved and she hurt and she lived. Steve was so glad that she came out of her shell for them. An uncaring agent to someone who would joke and tease and… be his friend in a completely new world. Love, Steve knows well, is a well worth agony, and _god_ does he miss his friends. The ones willing to sacrifice the most were always the ones most missed. No one came out of their battle unhurt, even if it was only on the inside. The war is won, and Steve needs to find who he is without it.

When he heard about the time machine and the fact that he would be the only one to return Thor’s hammer, he really thinks about that dance. He thinks about Tony telling him to find a life. He looks out into the world and wonders what it has to offer him. So he talks to the one person he knows could help him out. And you know what? He really thinks that he does deserve that dance. Though the one thing that Bucky made clear was that if Steve thought that he was going to become the next Captain America, he’d go back, find the pieces, and then beat his head in with the shield. Which was fair enough. Bucky wanted to help, he just didn’t want to be… him.

The next logical leap was Sam. Bucky said that if he didn’t come to that conclusion, he was dragging his ass to the hospital to check for concussions. Once again, fair. Bucky also stated that if he thought that he was going to save past Bucky, he should shove his head up where the sun doesn’t shine. He warned him pretty severely to _not_ fuck with the timeline. He didn’t want shit to go downhill just because he was in a rough spot. The last thing Bucky made clear was that he didn’t say goodbye properly to Peggy, what was even the point of a time machine? Throughout their discussion, Bucky dropped several hints that if he were to stay, then that would be alright too. Conflicted by this, Steve had stayed up all night debating. He still hadn’t made up his mind by the time he’d stepped onto the platform. Ah, well, he’d figure it out along the way.

~~~~~~~

He had _not_ figured it out by the time he got into her timeline. He’d returned everything to its proper place, and had managed to find out where she lived. This did not, by any means, mean he had a plan. Quite frankly, he was thinking about heading back before even seeing her, but he’d made up his mind about at least saying goodbye. He knocked at her door breath heavy in his lungs. When she opened the door, he stopped breathing entirely. That could be because she had a gun in her hand, but anyway. After a moment, he cleared his throat and began to speak. The first thing he told her was that he loved her. He said that he regretted not saying anything. She put her gun down and told him to come inside.

Now behind closed doors, he began to speak again. The second thing he told her was what was going on. He told her about the time machine and how it came to be. He showed her his wrist with the time machine still on it. He told her about the new war now won and how his friends gave their lives. He told her about Bucky and he told her that he came to see her again. She told him that she was ready for their dance. He replied with ‘I’m a bit late, but I’ve wanted this for a long time’. She smiled at him and pulled him out of his chair, a song playing so quietly you could barely hear it. He felt whole, complete. The song came to an end, but they stood there, swaying for just a little bit longer. But the music had stopped, and so eventually their dance did too.

They pulled apart, sharing a look that held hundreds of meanings, and Peggy’s hand reached up to his face, “You look older now. It suits you.”

He smiled and leaned into it, her delicate fingers caressing his cheek. He wasn’t fooled for a second. He knew she could easily beat him with both hands tied behind her back. He’d thank her for it too.

“I have something to show you,” She left the room, taking the moment with her.

He hesitated, not knowing whether or not to follow her when she came back out, a round shield in hand. She tossed it to him, which he caught effortlessly. It was easy for him to tell that it was an exact copy of his. He looked up at her, questioning.

“If I remember correctly, Howard told you to keep that on you at all times. Best not to disappoint him.” She winked at him, and Steve knew that even though he didn’t mention his shield breaking, she knew something had happened to it anyway.

He sighed, speaking mirthfully, “Can’t pull the wool over your eyes, can I?”

“Nope. And you never will.” She then gestured to the shield in his hands, “They gave me that because they didn’t know what else to do with it. They always had a backup on hand in case you lost yours or something. It became such a big symbol of you though that they couldn’t just hand it off to any old soldier.”

He grinned at that, feeling nostalgic for a reason he couldn’t quite explain, “Of course they gave it to you, after all you’re the best damn agent this world has ever seen.”

She hummed, looking at him fondly. An easiness rested in the air and Steve felt like he was finally able to breathe. He wanted to stay here. He wanted to live in a time where Peggy was alive and where she knew what happened. He could change his looks and name and he could get a job. The time machine weighed heavily on his wrist. He touched it gently with one finger, tracing the metal. But it was his last connection to Bucky and Sam. At least for another couple decades. Should he leave it on? Could he even take it off?

Peggy walked towards him, drawing his attention, “Hey, could you do a favor for me?”

“Yeah, of course.”

She gently pressed the button on his wrist, smiling at him, “Take care of the future for me.”

He smiled wetly at her and whispered, “Always.”

White rushed around him and she let go, the two looking into eachothers eyes. A thousand goodbyes that were better left unsaid stretched across the gulf between them, and he felt himself rushed back to the present. It was better this way, he knew. He wouldn’t mess up the timeline and he got to spend more time in the future. He had to keep moving forward. And so he did. He stepped off the platform, tears unshed in his eyes. He hopped off the platform, nodding a greeting to everyone at the machine and placing his suit back. He knew he could’ve spent years there, but the time that he did spend were well enough for him.

His eyes found Sam, and, without thinking, he tossed the shield to him. The second Sam caught it without flinching, everything felt like it had slotted back into place. Sam looked at him, confused.

“Take it. I think that I’m going to retire.”

“What?”

He turned to Bucky, “Coming?”

Bucky nodded, a small grin on his face.

“Wait- guys!” Sam jogged over to them, holding the shield uncertainty.

“What’s up, Captain?”

“Oh no, don’t you do this to me.”

“Hm?”

“Are you really going to dump this,” He shook the shield empathetically at them, “on me and then leave?”

Steve and Bucky glanced at each other before Bucky spoke, “Yeah, sounds about right.”

At Sam’s aghast face, Steve finally gave in, “Listen Sam, you’re perfect for the job. Not only are you the person I trust most with that shield, and with my life, you’re brave, compassionate, and kind. I could think for years and not come up with a single person I’d rather be Captain America. You deserve it.”

“I…” Sam looked stunned at them for a moment before visibly shaking himself, “Thank you.”

Steve nodded, “Good luck. Cap.”

~~~~~~~

“You said that you’d help Sam out with the whole Captain American thing, right?”

“I said that thinking that you weren’t coming back, asshole.”

“No take backs!”

“Fuck you. But, sure, yeah, I’ll help him.”

Steve had a sudden feeling of absolute dread. But before he could follow up, Bucky started talking again.

“Sooo, you gonna tell me what happened or not?”

Steve rolled his eyes, knowing that, of course, there would be no way Bucky would let that go, “Not on your life, punk.”

He bumped shoulders with Bucky, who readily returned it. This turned into a shoulder bumping competition.

Knowing this could go on all day, Bucky said, with utter seriousness, “I can do this all day.”

To which Steve responded, “Oh, fuck off.”


End file.
